The hit and run
by nekoangel1988
Summary: A disillusioned Sasuke nearly hits Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke gets angry with him and storms off leaving him on the side of the road. Only to later learn that Naruto had been hit by another car. Did Naruto walk in front of that car on purpose or was there another reason that he didn't hear the car. Sasuke discovers that friendships can form in unexpected places.
1. Chapter 1

The Hit and Run

Chapter 1

"Are you always such an idiot?" An irritated Sasuke Uchiha asked, staring at the trembling blonde that stood in front of his car. 19-year-old Sasuke had been on his way home from work after a long, 10-hour shift and had barely been paying attention to the fact that a younger teenager, had started crossing the street in front of him. Sasuke had managed to look up and slam his breaks in time to avoid barely hitting him, leaving the blonde teen startled and trembling.

"Are you fucking deaf?" Sasuke asked, noticing that the man hadn't responded to his earlier question. The man stared down at the sidewalk, a puzzled expression on his face, and tears streaming down his cheeks, before looking up at Sasuke, his bright blue eyes shining with tears. When the teen still didn't say anything, Sasuke grabbed his arm and shoved him back towards the sidewalk.

"Stay the fuck off the road!" Sasuke snapped, ignoring the fear that he could see in the young man's eyes. He didn't know how old he was, but he must have been about 15 if Sasuke could hazard a guess. He couldn't help but wonder what the kid's problem was. He hadn't responded to a word that Sasuke had said, but nor had the kid even looked at him which made him wonder if the kid really was deaf, and not just ignoring him. If that was the case why wasn't there someone with him, helping him.

Getting back into the car, Sasuke flipped the kid the middle finger, and sped off. He'd had to deal with his asshole brother, making shitty demands all day. Some of which had been next to impossible to follow. Some of the demands meant that Sasuke was going to be working overtime and past the time he was supposed to get off, which left him in a bad mood. Sasuke didn't want to spend his entire life working, like their father and his older brother were content to do. Sasuke wanted to go out and be able to enjoy his life, but ever since the death of their father a few months ago from a heart attack. Itachi was expecting impossible things from him, things that made it more difficult for Sasuke to actually go live his life. He wished he could tell Itachi to go to hell, but considering their mother was sick and possibly dying. They needed someone to be able to run Uchiha Corporation and to pay the medical bills. Itachi would spend half his day at work and then go home and take care of their mother, who had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and was currently undergoing chemotherapy before she would undergo a partial mastectomy to hopefully remove the cancer. Sasuke sincerely hoped that that worked, because he didn't think that he could survive without his kindhearted mother, not after they had lost their father. Fugaku Uchiha had always been a firm, quite man, who expected great things out of his children, but he wouldn't judge them harshly when a mistake was made instead he would help them learn so that they wouldn't make the same mistake again. He hadn't been one of those parents who thought their way was the only way, he believed that they needed to make their own path and their own decisions. But they also had to learn that there were consequences for bad decisions but no matter what decisions were made, Fugaku had always been there to guide them. Sasuke swallowed hard, his father had had a heart attack a few months ago and had died before help could arrive. Sasuke had been there and had watched as his father had clutched at his chest, his face going pale as he had collapsed to the floor. Sasuke had gotten up, had rushed over to his father's side and had attempted CPR but had known his father was gone before the first number had been dialed for the paramedics.

_"What the hell happened at that meeting Sasuke?" Sasuke looked up from staring at the white tiled floors of the hospital waiting room. "What happened that we ended up here?" Itachi demanded as he approached Sasuke._

_ "I believe Father had a heart attack." Sasuke replied quietly. "To be honest waiting out here is pointless because there isn't anything that they could do for him. He's already gone."_

_ "He can't be gone. Neither of us are ready to run the company yet." Itachi said. "Why didn't you get help for him sooner?"_

_ "If you recall I wasn't the one supposed to be at the meeting." Sasuke said, turning to stare at the wall. "I was covering for you, if you recall!"_

_ "Still you should have done something!" Itachi shouted, anger filling him that Sasuke had only stood by and watched while their father had died._

_ "I done all that I could." Sasuke said, watching as the blonde-haired doctor came towards them, a grim expression on her face. Sasuke knew that without the doctor saying anything that their father was gone. They would no longer have their rock to guide them in the dark sea. How were they supposed to get through their life without their father's advice? How would their mother be able to move on without the love of her life? Of all the important things that Fugaku Uchiha had done, his wife had been at the top of that list. They had treasured each other, and Sasuke and Itachi had seen it every time they had looked at their parents. They had a love that Sasuke could only dream of one day having. _

_ "I'm sorry, there wasn't anything that I could do." Tsunade said quietly. "He suffered a massive heart attack and was gone before he even hit the floor." Sasuke closed his eyes, he had known this was likely to be the outcome, but that didn't mean that he was prepared for it. Could anyone ever really be prepared for the loss of a parent? _

_ "You stupid bastard," Itachi snarled, "You should have done more to help him!" That being said, Itachi slammed his fist into the side of Sasuke's face, knocking him off of his feet._

_ "There wasn't anything that he could have done." Tsunade protested as she reached down and gently pulled Sasuke back to his feet. _

_ "You should have been there and maybe then you could have done something to ensure that he would live longer." Sasuke said._

Sasuke shook his head as if to clear the memory, things hadn't been the same between Sasuke and Itachi since then. He didn't even know why he had even thought about his father's death for. Maybe it had been something about the sadness in the boy's eyes that had bothered him. Sasuke didn't think he'd ever seen eyes so blue in his life, and it made him want to go out of his way and see what those eyes would look like with happiness and joy in them. Scowling, Sasuke wondered why he was even letting a stranger's situation bother him, whatever that kid was going through, it wasn't any of his business though. He had to focus on the tasks that his brother wanted him to complete. Otherwise, Itachi would probably find something else to bitch at him for.

Sighing, Sasuke turned into the drive that led to their mansion and he heard sirens roaring past him, and he briefly wondered what had happened. His mind flashed to the teenager and wondered if he had wandered out into the street again. Whatever was going on with that boy, he needed someone with him. He clearly couldn't take care of himself. Stopping the car, Sasuke turned the car off and sat there for a moment. Enjoying the silence of the moment. Itachi would probably start griping the moment he entered the house and he wasn't ready for it.

Sighing, Sasuke decided he should finally just go in and face his brother and get it over with. Hiding from Itachi wasn't going to accomplish anything. Throwing open the door, Sasuke threw his legs out of the car and stood up. Slamming the door behind him, Sasuke headed for the house. Upon entering the house, Sasuke wandered into the kitchen where he found Itachi and their mother sitting at the counter, drinking some coffee.

"Did you everything that I requested?" Itachi asked coolly. Sasuke nodded.

"I think it's unfair to expect me to do your job as well as my own." Sasuke said. "At some point I'm going to want to enjoy my own life you know." Sasuke walked over to the TV that sat on the counter and flipped it on. He would rather watch the news then listen to anything his brother had to gripe about.

"Breaking news." The beeping sound interrupted the silence of the room. "A 15-year-old boy was involved in an accident that took place at the corner of Ichiraku street. The boy's condition is currently unknown, and his reasons for being out there are also unknown." Sasuke frowned at the news report.

"Something wrong dear?" Mikoto asked quietly.

"I'm not surprised that he got hit." Sasuke said finally after a moment of silence. "I nearly hit him a little while ago. I got out and made sure that he got back to the sidewalk, but it was kind of strange that he didn't seem to be able to hear me. It annoyed me to be honest. Thinking back Sasuke could remember seeing the tears in the boy's eyes and wondered what had happened to upset him so much.

"That poor child." Mikoto murmured. "Who knows what he's had to deal with up to this point."

"Well, sounds like he got what he deserved if he was walking out in the middle of the street like that." Itachi said. "At his age he should know to look for traffic."

"No one deserves to be hit. Maybe there was something going on with him." Sasuke said, not surprised that his brother had taken such an attitude towards the kid. Ever since their father died, Itachi had had a rather poor attitude toward anyone that was of a lower class than they were. Reaching into his pocket, Sasuke pulled out his cell phone and headed out of the room. He was curious about the boy's condition and he wondered how he was doing. Dialing the hospital, Sasuke waited for a nurse to pick up the phone.

"Konoha General, how may I help you?" a woman asked on the other end.

"Yes, I am calling to find out the condition of the kid that got hit earlier." Sasuke said.

"Mr. Uzumaki." The nurse commented. "He was pretty seriously hurt. I can't go into detail since you aren't related, but I can say that he's critical. Whomever hit him, just left him there to bleed to death." Sasuke grimaced, he hadn't wanted the boy to be hurt like that.

"I nearly hit him earlier." Sasuke said, "What was he doing out there?"

"He's deaf." The nurse said softly. "He probably didn't understand anything you told him, but from what I understand he just found out some rough news today. Though if his condition gets any worse, he might not have to worry about his situation for long." So, the teenager had been deaf and hadn't heard a word that Sasuke had yelled at him, guilt ate at him. He wondered why no one had been with kid, if they had the accident could have prevented. Sasuke wondered if he would be able to do anything for him. Something told Sasuke that the teen didn't have much to call his own. Sasuke supposed that he could help with the bills, Sasuke did do good deeds every once in a while.

so should I continue? though I'm not sure how often I can update. I'm getting ready to start college again. liz


	2. Chapter 2

The Hit and Run

Chapter 2

Sasuke hung up the phone, he hadn't expected to be told that the teenager had been deaf. It made Sasuke wonder why he had been out there to begin with, and what had upset him so badly. Sasuke could still see the tears in the bright blue eyes. Sasuke wished that his bad mood hadn't made him react so badly, he'd probably scared more than a few years off of the teenager.

"Did you just call to check on that brat?" Itachi asked from the doorway and Sasuke's back stiffened. He hated how he couldn't ever hear his brother approaching.

"Yes, it's called having a heart." Sasuke replied, rubbing at his eyes. He could feel a headache coming on, probably caused by his brother.

"The brat asked for it by walking out in front of the car." Itachi replied. "He got what he deserved."

"He was deaf and didn't hear the car coming." Sasuke replied.

"So, being deaf means that he can't see?" Itachi asked. "He should have known to look both ways. Maybe he's retarded or something." Sasuke scowled at his brother.

"I don't like that word." Sasuke said. "and I don't care what he done. He didn't deserve to get hit by that car and left to die."

"Are you positive that you got all of the work done like I asked?" Itachi asked, quickly changing the subject.

"Yes, Itachi. I have a damn headache from staring at the bloody computer all damn day." Sasuke said. "Now if you don't mind giving me a break, I would like to take a nap before dinner."

"Mom isn't feeling well right now." Itachi said. "I had to take her to chemo today so you're going to have to cook dinner."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sasuke asked. "I'm exhausted, I have a headache. Why can't you cook dinner tonight?"

"Because I have to make sure that you done your job correctly." Itachi replied. Sasuke groaned, his brother had become a hard ass after their father died, and Sasuke wasn't sure how much longer he could deal with it. He almost wanted to disappear and let his brother run the company by himself, it wasn't like Sasuke was really needed anyways.

"Why are you such an asshole?" Sasuke wondered looking at his brother and blinking several times when his brother appeared blurry in front of him.

"Somebody has to take care of this family." Itachi replied. "I doubt you'll ever be able too."

"You're nothing like our father." Sasuke said. "He wouldn't constantly judge me; he would offer his help and advice to find the best solution to the problem. You on the other hand, look down on everyone like you are so much better than them. You're going to drive this company into failure if you don't change your ways."

"You'll put an end to Father's legacy if you don't get smart." Itachi replied. "You need to spend more time at work than out having fun with your friends."

"I need a break from work." Sasuke replied. "It won't do anyone any good if I'm stressed out all of the time. That's a part of the reason Father died; he didn't know when to quit working."

"Sometimes I wonder if that's all there was to it." Itachi said. "Sometimes I think he spent too much time wondering how his kids would turn out."

"He done the best he could." Sasuke replied. "We didn't turn out addicted to drugs or sex or anything. We are who we are because of him, and that's nothing to complain about."

"Maybe." Itachi said. "anyways, I'm going to go make sure Mom gets some rest while you fix dinner." Sasuke nodded and sighed. It was always like this, Itachi would leave work early, expecting Sasuke to his own job and Itachi's as well. When Sasuke got home, Itachi would have him cook dinner and clean up as well because neither him nor their mother felt like it. Not that Sasuke could blame his mother, she had a good excuse, Itachi however, just wanted to make sure Sasuke was as exhausted as possible, or so it seemed. Sasuke doubted that was Itachi's true intentions but sometimes it felt like Sasuke couldn't do anything to please his brother. No matter how hard he worked, nothing was ever good enough. Sighing, Sasuke wondered if he could get by with doing something simple, his head really was hurting, and his eyes were going blurry. Although if Sasuke was honest that had been happening for a while now, but because of what was going on with his mother, he hadn't never mentioned anything.

"Dinner isn't going to cook itself." Itachi said, staring at his little brother. Sasuke sighed, it never mattered if he didn't feel well, he still had to work his ass off to please his older brother.

"You could do something useful, like do it yourself for a change." Sasuke muttered. "I'm not feeling all that well myself."

"I dare say that you probably feel better than mother does." Itachi said. Sasuke just shook his head and stormed into the kitchen. It didn't help that Sasuke couldn't really see very well. He didn't think he'd be able to put together a decent dinner. He would at least try though, his mother deserved that much.

"Why are you in the kitchen Mr. Uchiha." A red-haired woman asked.

"My brother wanted me to cook dinner tonight, you need a break from taking care of us." Sasuke replied, as he brought his hand to rub at his eyes. His vision was going from blurry to dark, and it was starting to worry him.

"You don't look like you're feeling well." The maid said. "You need to go lay down."

"Itachi wouldn't like that." Sasuke replied. "He wouldn't be pleased that I had an actual human ailment."

"He needs to stop being so hard on you." Rin said. "he needs to cut you a break once in a while. He wasn't the only one that lost your father." Sasuke agreed with that statement, but he doubted that Itachi was going to loosen up anytime soon. He would always give Sasuke a hard time, it was hard to believe that at one time, Sasuke and Itachi had been close. Sasuke would have done anything to gain his brother's respect but Sasuke didn't think that would even be possible. He would never amount to anything in his brother's eyes, no matter how hard he worked. So why was it exactly that Sasuke tried so hard? What was the point? Itachi was going to hate him for what happened to their father for the rest of their life. There wasn't any point in trying to gain Itachi's respect, he wouldn't get it.

"Damn, my head hurts." Sasuke moaned. He hadn't had a headache this bad in a while. Sasuke managed to reach out his hand and grab onto a stool, pulling it over to him and sitting down on it. He lowered his head to the counter and tried to breath in and out of his nose slowly, hoping that the pain would end as quickly as it had come.

"Master Uchiha, you should go lie down or go to the hospital." Rin said, worry in her voice.

"I can't drive, I can barely see." Sasuke said. "I'll be okay in a minute, I'm sure."

"It sounds like you've got a migraine, those can last for days." Rin said.

"I've never had a migraine before." Sasuke said softly.

"It's the only thing that I can think of that could be effecting your vision." Rin said, because it had been obvious to her that Sasuke had been having trouble seeing her.

"If it doesn't go away, I'll drive you to the hospital myself." Rin said. "You shouldn't have to suffer needlessly."

"Who's going to care?" Sasuke asked. "My brother's too busy taking care of our mother, who's too sick to take care of anyone but herself." Rin sighed, she'd worked for the Uchiha family for years, had watched Sasuke and Itachi grow up actually. The two boys' used to take care of each other when no one else was around, it was a shame that the two had drifted apart to the point that Sasuke didn't think that Itachi would care about what happened to him. He didn't know how things had ended up this way between them, but he wished that things would go back to the way that they used to be.

"I care about what happens to you." Rin said. "I cook dinner for this family, so I don't know why he expects you to do it when your clearly not feeling well."

"You need a night off too." Sasuke said.

"Not as much as you do." Rin replied. "Now relax and I'll go find you something take so you can start feeling better." Sasuke nodded, keeping his eyes closed and his head resting on the counter. By the time Rin had returned the headache was starting to lessen to the point that he could look up with his eyes open and see clearly again.

"Did you hear about the special needs deaf boy getting hit earlier?" Rin asked. "Happened about a block from here?"

"I didn't know he was special needs." Sasuke said. "I damn near hit him myself. It would explain why he was out in the middle of the road and not watching for cars." Rin looked over at Sasuke puzzled.

"He was on the sidewalk when he got hit." Rin said. Sasuke frowned, which meant that the driver had intentionally hit him and left him there to die.

"I called the hospital earlier, and they told me he was in critical condition but because I wasn't related to him, they couldn't tell me much else." Sasuke said. He really wanted to go to the hospital to see how he was doing. It really pissed him off that someone could do that to someone so innocent.

"Where was his family?" Sasuke wondered. "Surely, he has someone out there that cares about what happens to him?"

"He was orphaned at birth." Rin replied. "But from what I understand, his grandfather who had taken care of him had just died. I don't know what's going to happen to him now."

"That's terrible." Sasuke said. "He's going to need someone to take care of him."

"If he doesn't end up dying." Itachi said from the doorway, scowling at the sight of his brother sitting on the stool instead of in front of the stove, cooking dinner like he'd been told to do. "The retard would probably be better off."

"Being special needs, doesn't make him retarded, and in any case, he can't help it." Sasuke said.

"I don't see what your fascination with this boy is." Itachi said. "His life shouldn't even matter to you." Itachi said.

"I don't know." Sasuke replied. "There was just something about the sadness in his eyes that made me think that it shouldn't have been there."

"Enough about that brat." Itachi said. "Why aren't you cooking? Rin needs a night off?"

"He has a migraine." Rin said. "I don't mind cooking."

"He looks fine now." Itachi said, eyeing his little brother.

"I feel better, but my head still hurts. I can at least see clearly now." Sasuke said.

"Tomorrow you won't get out of cooking. If Rin takes over, I'll fire her." Itachi said.

"No, you won't because you can't be an asshole to her like you are to me." Sasuke replied. "She won't let you walk all over her."

"You need to start following orders." Itachi said. "And start doing your job right because everything you done earlier was wrong."

"Now, why doesn't that surprise me?" Sasuke muttered. "You find something wrong in everything that I do."

"If you would listen the first time, then maybe this wouldn't have happened." Itachi said.

"It can wait until tomorrow. I'm not getting in front of the computer again until my head stops hurting completely." Sasuke said, pushing himself up off the stool. He wasn't even going to stay here and listen to his brother belittle him for the millionth time. He was going to get a break from all of that for a change. Without waiting for Itachi to say anything else, Sasuke turned and headed out of the kitchen and down the hall and towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Itachi called out, sticking his head out through the kitchen door. Sasuke ignored him and exited the house and made his way over to his car.

Opening the door, Sasuke climbed in and slammed the door shut behind him, hitting the lock button as he done so. Itachi wasn't going to interrupt him this time, Sasuke was going to get a break from the pressure that Itachi liked to put on his shoulders.

Sighing, Sasuke jammed the key into the ignition and turned the car on, he glanced over his shoulder and started backing out of the drive. He was going to go to the hospital to check on that teenager. He didn't understand why he was so bothered about the kid but Sasuke was curious and he wouldn't be satisfied until his curiosity was satisfied.

At the hospital, Sasuke parked in the parking garage and made his way to into the hospital. Where he took the elevator up the ICU. Walking up to the nurses station, Sasuke waited until the woman was off of the phone.

"Can I help you?" the pink-haired woman, whose name tag read Sakura asked.

"I'm here to see about the boy that got hit by the car." Sasuke said. "I'm not related to him but from what I understand he doesn't have anyone left related to him."

"You would be talking about Naruto Uzumaki." Sakura said, typing into her computer.

"What's his condition?" Sasuke asked.

"Critical." Sakura replied. "It looks like he was hit and thrown over the car, which leaves him with both his arms broken, several broken ribs and it looks like a couple of ribs punctured his lung. That's not to mention that he was left with a fractured skull and a brain bleed."

"Damn." Sasuke swore. "And he was just left like that on the sidewalk?" Sakura nodded.

"No one stopped to help him." Sakura replied. "A half hour later, a teacher from his special needs school discovered him lying there and got him some help."

"How the hell are people so wrapped up in their own lives that they can't see someone hurting that can't help themselves?" Sasuke wondered. The boy probably would have died if that teacher hadn't found him.

"People are selfish and think more of themselves than other people." Sakura replied. "It's just the way things are anymore. However, there are a few out there that care about what happens to other people. I would say that the teacher that found Naruto is one of them because he's going to be taking Naruto home to live with him once he pulls through this mess."

"So, you think that Naruto is going to be okay?" Sasuke asked, unable to explain why he felt so relieved at that. It wasn't like he really cared about the kid.

"It might take a little while, but I believe he'll pull through this. If his head injury doesn't get worse, which sometimes they can. Head injuries are tricky things." Sakura said.

"Would I be able to see him?" Sasuke asked.

"Not right now, because he's finally resting." Sakura replied. "But if you don't mind waiting a little while, I'm sure it would be okay. He's going to need some encouragement." Sasuke nodded. The longer he was here, meant the longer that he didn't have to deal with Itachi. Sasuke turned and headed into the waiting room, where he found a brown-haired man, with a scar across his nose, sitting there staring down at the ground.

"Iruka-Sensei?" Sasuke asked. "What are you doing here?" The man looked up at Sasuke.

"Hey, Sasuke I'm waiting to hear news about Naruto. What are you doing here?"

"Same reason. I nearly hit him earlier and he's been on my mind ever since." Sasuke replied. "I wonder what he was doing out there?"

"He just buried his grandfather." Iruka replied. "The last living person that was related to him."

"What's going to happen to him now?" Sasuke asked. "Are you the one that's going to be taking him in?" Iruka nodded.

"He'll come home with me and Kakashi." Iruka replied. "And we'll raise him."

"Do you know how to communicate with him?" Sasuke asked. "I understand that he's deaf."

"Both Kakashi and I know sign language, I work at the special needs school remember? Naruto isn't the first deaf student." Sasuke nodded and ignored the ringing phone in his pocket. It was probably Itachi calling to bitch him out and he didn't want to listen to it. He was tired of Itachi getting his way all the time, he didn't care that Sasuke needed a break, which was probably why he was getting those headaches so frequently.

"Will we get to see him tonight?" Sasuke wondered.

"Honestly, probably not." Iruka replied. "His condition was pretty serious."

"How could people just leave him there like that?" Sasuke said. "it would have had to have been obvious that it was a little boy when they drove by, and yet they kept going."

"I don't know." Iruka said. "I'm just glad that I came along and that I was paying attention. He would have died out there if I hadn't of stopped. That's one of the reasons his condition is so serious is because no one stopped to help him." Sasuke shook his head, he wished that those people could be charged with attempted murder, but it wouldn't happen. He doubted that they would even find the person that originally hit him to begin with.

"It takes a special kind of asshole to hit someone like Naruto and then just leave him there." Iruka murmured. "They had to have known who he was, almost everyone does. His father was mayor for crying out loud."

"Then it was probably someone that hated his father." Sasuke said. Thinking back to what he knew about the blonde man. He'd been hit and killed in a drunk and driving accident the night that his wife had gone into labor. From what Sasuke had understood, the mother had then died giving birth to Naruto. Which had left him in the custody of his grandfather, or so Sasuke had heard rumors, he just hadn't realized that the kid was old enough to be a teenager yet. He remembered hearing about the father's death on the radio and thinking how tragic it was for his family. In truth, he hadn't known how tragic it had ended up being.

"I remember hearing about his father getting into a drunk and driving accident. He was hit by the drunk driver." Sasuke said. "And then his mother died giving birth to him. I didn't realize that the kid was old enough to be a teenager."

"Yeah, it was terrible." Iruka replied. "But I'm starting to wonder if the person that hit his father was really drunk. After all he left the scene of the accident, which is why Minato died in the first place."

"So, then why go after the kid fifteen years later." Sasuke wondered. "Was it some sort of policy that his father put in place that someone didn't like?"

"Maybe. Sadly, I don't think we'll ever know the real reason. Not unless this person gets caught, and something tells me that he isn't in Konoha anymore." Sasuke shook his head. What sort of person would take revenge on a kid that had nothing to do with them at the time that they had gotten into trouble? Then again, his and Iruka's guesses could be wrong, and it could have just been a terrible accident that had led to Naruto being hospitalized in the ICU. Sasuke doubted it, but it could happen.

Thanks for reviewing! (Usually I won't post another chapter until I get a couple of reviews) Keep in mind also that I just started college again so the updates might be few and far between. I'll try not to do that, it just depends on how I can keep up with school work and working two jobs. Liz


	3. Chapter 3

The Hit and Run

Chapter 3

Sasuke and Iruka talked for a little while more, until a blonde-haired doctor came to them.

"I'm Tsunade, and I'm Naruto's doctor. I understand that Naruto is in a bit of situation here and that he has no living relatives." Iruka nodded.

"Who is he going to be going home with?" Tsunade asked.

"My husband and I plan on taking him in." Iruka replied. "We both know sign language and will be able to communicate with him."

"It's good to know that he will have a place to go." Tsunade said. "I've taken care of him since he was a small child. He deserves a good home. He's got a big heart even though he has difficulties."

"I've had him in class." Iruka said. "he's very spirited in spite of what he faces. He's a good kid though and he deserves more than what he's gotten out of life."

"How's he doing?" Sasuke asked, he wanted to know more about the kid's condition so that he might stop worrying a little.

"He's in recovery. I'm sure you were told about his fractured skull." Tsunade told him. Sasuke nodded.

"He's got some internal injuries as well, it's almost like they didn't just hit him, but they backed over him as well, which would explain the internal injuries."

"That would mean that there's no chance in hell that it was an accident." Sasuke said, clinching his hands into fists. He wanted to find this person and beat the shit out of them. How could they have done this to a kid? A deaf, special needs kid at that?

"That's exactly what that means." Tsunade said. "And it pisses me off to no end."

"How's the spinal injury?" Iruka asked. "Will he walk again?" Sasuke paused, he'd had no idea about that injury.

"The spinal column wasn't severed so given time and rehabilitation I believe he'll be able to walk again." Tsunade replied. "Which brings me to another point, one of his legs is badly broken, we're going to have to go in and surgically place some pins to hold the bones together. He'll probably end up walking with a limp for the rest of his life."

"At least, he'll able to walk." Iruka murmured. "Can't complain about that."

"He's going to be a pretty miserable little boy for a little while." Tsunade said. "With all the broken bones that he has."

"How severe are the internal injuries?" Iruka asked.

"We had to remove his spleen because it was beyond repair, and aside from the internal bleeding that we've fixed. It shouldn't be too bad." Tsunade replied. "But some of the injuries will be slow to heal so you need to be patient with him and try to keep him as still as possible."

"That might be difficult. Naruto is always on the move." Iruka said.

"He'll probably be hurting too much, to do to much moving." Tsunade said.

"I'll do whatever I can for him." Iruka said. "Can we see him now?" Tsunade nodded.

"He's probably going to be asleep for quite a while, not just from the surgery to drain the blood from his brain, but I want to keep him sedated for the time being to give his bones a chance to set." Iruka nodded that made sense. Still it hurt to think that someone had done this to Naruto intentionally. Naruto wouldn't hurt a fly so why did someone think it would be okay to hurt him? Just because he was different from everyone else, it didn't mean he was any less of a human being. It didn't mean that Naruto was any less deserving of respect than any other person was. It was kind of sad that people looked down on people like Naruto just because they were different.

"I just want to be able to see if he's going to be okay for myself." Iruka said. "I worry that he'll slip away."

"You've barely got custody of him and you're already mother henning him." Tsunade chuckled. "not that he doesn't deserve it." Iruka huffed at her causing Sasuke to chuckle. It looked like Naruto would go to a good home indeed, at least he would be wanted, and he wouldn't be criticized for every little thing that he done. He'd be with someone that cared about his happiness, probably more than they cared about their own. Sasuke didn't think that a Naruto could ask for a better family, Iruka lived right next door to Sasuke's family. So, he would be able to check on the teen whenever he wanted, and Itachi would keep his retarded comments to himself or Sasuke would choke him.

"He needs someone." Iruka said softly. "He doesn't need to be left alone in this world."

"And he found the perfect parent in you." Tsunade said, as both Iruka and Sasuke stood up and followed Tsunade down the hall and to Naruto's room. They stopped outside the windowed room, to look upon the boy, whose chest heaved with the effort it took to breath. Sasuke almost hurt looking it him, it was pretty obvious that breathing was hard for him.

"Why hasn't he been intubated?" Sasuke asked.

"Unfortunately, money and no one can afford that kind of care for him." Tsunade said and Sasuke scowled. They could do surgery to repair and remove things, but they couldn't put him on a machine to help him breathe until he healed a little? What a broken health care system, Sasuke thought.

"I'll pay for it myself; I'll pay all his bills. So just give him the best possible care." Sasuke said.

"You don't have to do that." Iruka said. "Kakashi and I can pay too."

"And likely not afford to eat for the next year." Sasuke replied. "Let me do this, it will help make things easier on you and Kakashi."

"Won't your brother be mad?" Iruka asked.

"He can't stop me from spending money that I earned." Sasuke replied and watched as Tsunade prepared to have Naruto intubated. "He shouldn't have to suffer because no one is paying his bills."

"I agree." Iruka said. "But why are you concerning yourself with his care?"

"I don't know." Sasuke said. "There was just something about him that made me curious, I want to know more about him."

"What about your brother?" Iruka asked. "I know he has you helping with the business and your mother."

"He'll get over it, he can't control every aspect of my life." Sasuke replied. "At some point I need to have my own life." Iruka nodded. He always thought that Itachi was harder on Sasuke than their father ever had been, and it made him curious as to why. Why was Itachi expecting so much out of Sasuke when Itachi didn't even put in that much effort? What had gone so wrong between the brothers that Itachi looked down on Sasuke? Iruka didn't think he'd ever know, not that it was his business, but he figured that Itachi had better get his head screwed on straight before he ended up losing his brother. Turning back to Naruto, Iruka was relieved to see that Naruto was breathing easier with the help of machines. He was glad that Sasuke had made that generous offer, because Iruka wasn't sure how they would be able to pay the bills, not with what little Iruka and Kakashi made at their jobs.

"Rest easy, sweet boy." Iruka murmured. "I'll be here in the morning, and hopefully things will look a little better for you." Sasuke didn't know why, but he knew he would be coming back in the morning as well. He didn't like the idea of leaving the teenager alone, he figured the boy had probably spent enough of his time alone in the world and could use a friend.

When Sasuke got home, he found an irritated Itachi standing by the doorway, glaring at him.

"I hope you had fun." Itachi said. "Mother's been terribly sick tonight."

"I doubt that it was anything that I could have helped with." Sasuke said. "and I went to the hospital to look in on the kid that got hit a block or so away from here."

"You don't have time to worry about some juvenile delinquent." Itachi said. "You have a company to help run and a sick mother to take care of."

"And my own health issues to worry about." Sasuke replied, "not that I expect you to care too much about that one."

"You have to be healthy enough to run the company." Itachi replied. Sasuke rolled his eyes, go figure.

"And what do you plan on doing?" Sasuke asked. "I shouldn't have to take care of everything."

"I'll be taking care of Mother; she has to go in for a few more tests before she has surgery." Itachi said.

"Is the cancer getting worse?" Sasuke asked, he feared losing their mother right after they had lost their father. Sasuke didn't think he would be able to handle that; her loss would drive him over the edge.

"We won't know until the doctors run the tests." Itachi replied. "But I'm hoping that the chemo has done something for her."

"I don't think I would make it very long if we lost her." Sasuke said quietly. "She's the glue that holds this family together."

"That she is." Itachi murmured, glancing over at Sasuke. Sasuke looked like his head was still bothering him, and from the way that Sasuke was blinking his eyes, he wondered if Sasuke still had a headache and wondered how well that Sasuke could really see him.

"How are you feeling?" Itachi asked suddenly, the last thing he needed was for Sasuke to collapse on him.

"Right now, I feel okay." Sasuke replied. "My vision goes in and out sometimes though. I guess it's time I get some glasses."

"Or you could go to the doctor to make sure that you don't have something wrong with you." Itachi suggested.

"Who has time for that?" Sasuke asked. "I have enough on my plate to deal with right now."

"I need you to be healthy." Itachi said. "I can't do this by myself you know."

"I can see that." Sasuke commented. "You've been making me do it by myself. I'm getting tired, I can't do it all you know."

"If mother didn't need someone as much as she did right now, I would be there, and you know it." Itachi said. "But it can't be helped, until we know for sure which way the cancer is going to go. You're just going to have to grow up and deal with it. Father wouldn't complain about the load he was under."

"And look what happened to him, he died from a massive heart attack." Sasuke said. "It was probably the stress that had to do with it."

"We should have been helping him more." Itachi said. "But we had other lives we had to deal with."

"I notice you say we a lot, but what you really mean is me." Sasuke said. "You wouldn't have done anything more than what you did. Which was jump down my throat for allowing it to happen, when it was completely out of my control." Sasuke couldn't help but feel bitter about how things had gone down, he wished he could have turned back time and had been able to help his father, but alas he hadn't been able to do anything. It was a fact that Itachi wouldn't allow him to forget, ever. Despite the fact that Sasuke had been in that meeting because Itachi hadn't been able to be there. Was Sasuke supposed to have given up his entire life to the company so that Itachi could have the life that he wanted? Sasuke didn't think that was fair of Itachi to expect that of him, especially since Itachi was older than he was.

"You know I appreciate everything that you do." Itachi said. "I know that you've had to give up a lot to help run the company. Like I said I would be there more if mother didn't need someone so much right now."

"Yeah right." Sasuke murmured. "I don't believe that. You spend so much time making sure everything I do is wrong, that you don't see what I do right."

"That's where you have it wrong." Itachi said, and Sasuke shook his head, and started heading for the stairs.

"How's the retarded kid doing?" Itachi asked, knowing that the kid was probably still on Sasuke's mind.

"He's special needs, not retarded." Sasuke replied. "You know I don't like that word. His injuries are worse than I thought they were, it looks like he was hit on the sidewalk and left to die there on purpose. People kept driving right past him and left him there, until a teacher discovered him. Don't tell me he deserved that."

"Why would someone intentionally hit him?" Itachi wondered.

"Because his father was Mayor before the so-called accident that he got into the night Naruto was born." Sasuke replied. "I'm thinking it probably wasn't an accident, since it was another hit and run."

"Why go after the kid at all?" Itachi wondered. "It's been what? Fifteen years since Minato died?"

"I guess." Sasuke said. "My theory is they want the entire family line dead. But that's just a guess." Itachi frowned.

"Where's he going to go now?" Itachi asked. "You don't have the time to take care of him?"

"Iruka and his husband Kakashi are taking him in." Sasuke replied.

"As in our neighbors Iruka and Kakashi?" Itachi asked and Sasuke nodded.

"Got a problem with it?" Sasuke asked.

"No. As long as he doesn't distract you from your work." Itachi replied. "Everyone deserves a good home."

"So, what if he distracts me, what I do with my own time is my business." Sasuke replied. He couldn't believe what an asshole Itachi was being. His brother couldn't tell him what to do with his own time. "Besides the kid probably won't be out of the hospital for a few weeks at least. That asshole done a number on him."

"I don't why anyone would hit a kid and just leave him." Itachi said. "Especially if he was deaf."

"I don't know but I hope they catch him." Sasuke said. "It wouldn't have taken much to have stopped and helped him. To just leave them there lying on the sidewalk bleeding to death, was about as heartless as a person could get."

"Unless this person was distracted and, in a hurry, because they had left things undone at home." Itachi said, and Sasuke frowned at him.

"That's no reason to leave the scene of an accident though." Sasuke said. "that kid could have died, and I don't care what that other driver's excuse was. That excuse wouldn't have meant a thing if he'd died."

"He would have gotten to be with his family again, would have finally gotten the chance to be normal." Itachi commented.

"Who's to say that how he is now isn't normal for him?" Sasuke said. "There isn't anything wrong with him."

"I don't know." Itachi commented. "But maybe getting hit didn't have anything to do with who his family was."

"They hit him, and then backed over him." Sasuke said. "It was intentional, whomever done it."

"Maybe not, maybe they were scared." Itachi replied. "I would imagine that would be a scary situation to be in, not many know what to do."

"It's not hard to use common sense." Sasuke said. "And you're making a lot of excuses for the person." In fact, it was starting to make Sasuke wonder if Itachi hadn't been the one to hit him. If that was the case, Sasuke wouldn't rest until his brother paid for what he done to the poor kid. He must have been terrified as he lay there, wondering why no one was helping him. Sasuke didn't like thinking about it, he wished that he could have gone back and changed the way he had reacted, when he'd nearly hit the kid himself. Sasuke had probably scared the life out of him, and that wasn't something that Sasuke was proud of. Sasuke could have a temper and when he got angry, he tended to take it out on others, this time it happened to be on Naruto. Sasuke was sorrier than he could imagine though after learning what he had about Naruto. He hoped that in the coming days that he could make it up to Naruto, he would do anything he could to make things easier for the fifteen-year-old.


	4. Chapter 4

The Hit and Run

Chapter 4

Sasuke made his way upstairs, he was exhausted and stressed from the day's events. He wondered how long he would be expected to keep up the pace that he was going? Didn't Itachi know that he was only going to push Sasuke into a deeper depression if this continued. Sasuke deeply missed the relationship that he used to have with Itachi, the one where things were easy and simple. The one where Sasuke would have done anything that Itachi asked of him, including committing murder if it had come down to that. Now though, Sasuke could hardly look at Itachi without remembering the accusations that had been made, and the demands to live up to the man that their father had been. Never mind that those shoes had been too big for Sasuke to fill, but yet it was expected of him to run their company the way their father would have.

"Father, you left too soon." Sasuke murmured as he made his way into his bedroom and flopped down on the bed. "I don't know how to please Itachi. He wants everything done the way you want it and I can't always do that; I have to do what I think you would have wanted and sometimes it's the wrong choice. Itachi expects me to just always be able to make the right decision. I'm not perfect." Sasuke closed his eyes, he wanted to go to sleep, but first he needed to get changed. Opening his eyes again, Sasuke sighed and pushed himself up into a sitting position. He wished he could go back to a time where things were easier and not so confusing. Back to a time where Sasuke didn't have to work his ass off to prove his worth to his brother. At this point, Sasuke didn't think Itachi would ever approve of anything that Sasuke done, and it was starting to piss Sasuke off. Why the hell should he bust his ass if all Itachi was going to do was bitch about how it wasn't done correctly, if that was the case Itachi could do it himself. Then again, he would probably claim that he had to do something for their mother so Sasuke would have to redo whatever it was that he had messed up. Sasuke didn't have time for that, he wanted to be able to live his own life.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke tried to envision a world where he got to live his own life, where he wasn't expected to be just like his deceased father. Surely, it would happen one day, but until then Sasuke would have to man up and start trying harder, maybe if he did that Itachi would leave him alone. What would Sasuke have to sacrifice in order to make that happen. Would it be his health or his sanity? He sure Itachi probably didn't think he was too sane anyways. Opening his eyes, Sasuke stared up at the ceiling. It was moments like these, when he was feeling at his most inadequate that he really missed his father. His father would know how to encourage him, would know what to say to make Sasuke not want to give up on everything. Itachi only made him want to quit and run away and never return. He didn't care if he had to start over in a place where he didn't know anyone, it would be a nice break from the monotony that was his current life. Sasuke knew that he shouldn't complain, he'd been gifted with more than most people, he should be grateful that he was healthy and normal, and he didn't face the issues that a certain teenager faced. He had the ability to hear and understand situations that Naruto could not. Then again from what Sasuke understood from Iruka, Naruto had been a happy child no matter what he faced. Sasuke wondered if it was both the loss of his grandfather and the loss of his home that had upset him so much. Naruto probably hadn't known what would happen to him since he didn't have his grandfather. Sasuke couldn't imagine the confusion that he must have felt. Sasuke was glad that Iruka was taking him in, he had the feeling that Naruto already had a relationship with the gentle man. He was pretty sure that Iruka had mentioned that he'd had Naruto in class. Which meant that Iruka must have been a special education teacher. It took a special kind of person to know to how to understand and be able to interact with these children and understand how to handle their meltdowns. Because special needs children had their bad days too. It took a special person to not get frustrated and take their anger and frustration out on the children. Sasuke knew that Iruka was a patient man and knew without a doubt that he would be a good guardian for Naruto.

Sitting up, Sasuke pushed himself to his feet and wandered over to the window. He wondered if the person that hit Naruto would be caught, he deserved justice for being left on the side of busy road to die. Sasuke couldn't imagine how scared he must have been, he probably didn't even really understand what happened. He sincerely hoped that Naruto would be able to quickly recover from this and didn't have to suffer too much pain.

"Sasuke!" An angry Itachi came storming into the room, and Sasuke whirled around and stared at his brother wondering what he'd done this time that had pissed his brother off.

"What did I do this time?" Sasuke asked, sounding annoyed. Why couldn't his brother just leave him alone for once in his life.

"Why is there a large amount of money missing from our bank account?" Itachi demanded. "You know we need as much as possible to cover mother's cancer costs."

"We have plenty of money for that and you know it." Sasuke replied. "I used it to help someone in need."

"Like who?" Itachi demanded.

"Naruto. The hospital was going to let him suffer because no one could afford to pay to have him intubated, after they'd already done surgery on him." Sasuke explained. "That poor kid didn't deserve to have to suffer like that."

"Naruto again." Itachi shook his head, "I'm starting to think you're obsessed with him."

"Not obsessed, just curious." Sasuke replied. "You have the women that you like to screw around with, now leave to me to the things that fascinate me." Itachi shook his head, Sasuke had a huge heart but he couldn't help everyone that he came across. That wouldn't do well for his family.

"You need to think of your family before you think of anyone else." Itachi said. "Those bills are piling up even if we do have a lot of money, you'll have to work harder to ensure that you bring more home."

"Get off your high horse and do something yourself for a change!" Sasuke snapped. "I'm tired of doing it all."

"You want to take care of mother then?" Itachi asked. "Got to her appointments with her and watch as the chemotherapy makes her sick and weak. Then come home and get her to bed, even though you know she wants to spend time with her family. It's a full-time job to make sure she stays healthy enough to do what little she can for us. And I still manage to get a little done at work."

"Not much though because I'm doing everything else, dealing with people who don't give a damn about anything but money. Those people are soulless, and they wear me out." Sasuke replied. "There's more to life than making money, especially when we already have so much."

"Still it has to be done, and you are the only one that can do it, so suck it up and grow up why don't you." Itachi said. "If any more money comes out of our account like that, there's going to hell to pay."

"I earned the money; I can spend it on whatever I wish too." Sasuke said. "I don't care if you like it or not, but that boy needed help and the hospital was going to let him suffer."

"That's unfortunate, but not everyone can pay for the medical treatment they need, so they end up getting what they can afford." Itachi replied. "You need to focus on our family instead of someone else's."

"He doesn't have a family, damn it, he just lost the last living person that he was related to. That's why he's going to be living with Iruka." Sasuke protested, wondering where his brother's heart had gone, because he couldn't see any sign of it. Once upon a time Sasuke would have thought that the sun rose and set on his brother, now Sasuke wasn't that disillusioned about his brother. His brother didn't care about anyone outside of the family.

"That's sad for him." Itachi said, "but like I said you need to worry more about your own family." Sasuke shook his head, how the hell did Itachi get to be like this? Did he even miss their father? It didn't seem like it, he expected Sasuke to just be able to fill their dad's shoes and that wasn't very easy to do. Their father had been a giant in the business world, Sasuke didn't think he would ever be able to live up to that reputation, but Itachi was bound and determined that he was going to force Sasuke into being just like their father.

"I'm not our father, and I will never be him. I don't have half the business smarts that he had." Sasuke told Itachi.

"That's for sure." Itachi muttered. "But that doesn't mean that you can't at least try."

"This conversation is getting old." Sasuke said. "I'm tired of you trying to make me be someone I'm not. I don't know how, but you've lost who you once were. You're not the brother that I adored growing up."

"We've all had to change." Itachi replied. "Father's death made sure of that. You just need to accept it and come to terms with it." Sasuke shook his head, Itachi would never understand how Sasuke felt.

"Will this hell never end?" Sasuke wondered. "I just want to be able to live my life the way that I want to."

"You can't." Itachi said. "You have to take our father's place."

"I know this, no stop reminding me." Sasuke before turning and stalking out of the room. He was exhausted and he didn't want to deal with this right now. Stomping down the stairs, Sasuke just passed the front door when the doorbell rung.

Frowning, Sasuke opened the door to see a police officer standing on the porch.

"Hello, Sasuke is your brother home?" the officer asked and Sasuke nodded before turning and hollering up the stairs.

"Itachi someone is here to see you!" Sasuke called out, and a few short seconds later Itachi was standing beside Sasuke.

"Hello, Mr. Uchiha. I'm sure by now you've heard about the hit and run that took place a few blocks from here." The police officer said. Itachi nodded.

"I was wondering if perhaps you saw the car that hit the kid come by here?" the officer asked. "Considering that you live so close you are the best person to have seen him."

"I got home a few short minutes after it happened unfortunately." Itachi replied. "So I didn't see anything."

"Can I see your car?" the police officer asked. Itachi frowned at him, and Sasuke turned to stare at his brother.

"Not without a warrant you can't." Itachi replied. "You have no legal right to look at my car."

"By not showing him the car you are making it look like you have something to hide." Sasuke hissed at his brother.

"I don't have anything to hide," Itachi replied. "I just don't want him to see my car. It's none of his business."

"I see." The police officer stated. "If that's the way you want it, Mr. Uchiha that's the way you'll get it." The officer turned around and walked off the porch and Sasuke closed the door before facing his brother.

"What the hell are you trying to hide?" Sasuke asked.

"Nothing." Itachi replied. "But the need to know they can't just come here and demand things."

"You admitted to not being home when Naruto got hit." Sasuke said. "You might as well have told him that you hit Naruto. Showing him the car would have proven that you didn't hit him."

"Maybe, maybe not." Itachi replied. "I don't care." Even though Itachi sounded calm, there was a tone to his voice that made Sasuke wonder if he wasn't as calm as he was pretending to be. Sasuke really hoped that his brother would grow a pair and show the car to the cops so they wouldn't think that he had anything to do with what had happened to Naruto.

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I have the next week off from work so I may have some time to post more chapters. Liz


	5. Chapter 5

The Hit and Run

Chapter 5

Sasuke wandered out on the porch, he couldn't but wonder if Itachi was trying to hide something. After all, why would his brother not just show the cop his car just to prove that it wasn't him? It didn't make sense to him that Itachi would try to hide it if he really was innocent. Sasuke was well aware that not all cops were honest, and they didn't always do things by the book. Sasuke didn't think that was the case here, the cop didn't just go take a look at the car himself anyways. Maybe he should go see what his brother was hiding so that he wouldn't get in trouble if the police did come back.

Making his way off the porch, Sasuke headed into the garage. Walking around the back of his brother's black Mercedes. When he reached the front, he wasn't too surprised to see the hood was dented, and there was blood on the fender. Sasuke could almost bet that there would be blood on the tires and his heart clenched tightly. It certainly made sense why Itachi was trying to avoid having the police look at his car. He certainly would look guilty if he allowed the cops to look at it.

"I should have known that you would be in here. Always so nosey" Itachi said.

"What the hell did you do? Did you really hit Naruto and leave him there to die?" Sasuke demanded looking up at his brother.

"No, I did not hit Naruto." Itachi replied. "I hit a deer, as you can see by the damage done to the car."

"The police are going to assume that you hit Naruto, until they test the blood and discover that it's an animal's blood." Sasuke said. "Then they'll toss you in jail for leaving the scene of an accident. Which will leave me to deal with everything."

"They know not to mess with the Uchiha's." Itachi replied. "They have no right to look at my car."

"They are going to come back with a warrant because you gave them reasonable doubt, you made them think that you had something to hide." Sasuke said. "If they do that, you'll have no choice but to show them the car. By the way, the way it's dented doesn't look like a deer." Sasuke couldn't believe his brother was being so stupid. Did he really think that he wouldn't get caught? And if he did, did he consider the kind of pressure that he would be putting Sasuke under? There was no way that Sasuke could handle taking care of their mother and running the business as well. Sasuke shook his head, he really was annoyed with Itachi for being so stupid.

"I didn't hit that deaf kid." Itachi said. "I'm not dumb enough to leave someone dying in the middle of the street."

"Your car makes it look suspicious." Sasuke said. "You should have turned the accident in and maybe then the cops wouldn't have a foot to stand on. Due to your stupidity they have every right to come back with a warrant. What do you think this stress is going to do to mother?"

"It's not going to do anything, because if they proceed to attempt to file charges for something that I didn't do, I'll have their jobs." Itachi said and Sasuke shook his head.

"For someone so smart how the hell can you be so stupid!" Sasuke wondered. "I love you but you're being a major ass. Just because we're rich, it doesn't mean we can run over everyone else. You have no right to try and get them fired. I'm sure they have a family they are trying to care for."

"Then they should leave well enough alone." Itachi pointed out. "What happens to them is a result of their own stupidity."

"Sometimes I wonder." Sasuke said. "Don't you think Naruto deserves justice for getting left there like that? That's all they are trying to do is bring the right person to justice."

"By barking up the wrong tree." Itachi replied. "I hit a deer and that's that. If they don't like it, they can find another job." Sasuke sighed, Itachi was being downright stupid. Clearly, he didn't care about how bad his damaged car made him look. Sasuke didn't want his brother to end up in jail, and if things kept going the way they were, that's exactly where he would end up. They could have all the money in the world, and it would save Itachi from an attempted vehicular homicide charge.

"They could potentially charge you with a hate crime did you know that?" Sasuke asked. "Since Naruto is special needs and deaf."

"I didn't hit him, so they can't charge me with anything." Itachi replied stubbornly.

"I seriously hope you can prove that." Sasuke said. "Because I can't do everything on my own."

"That's for damn sure." Itachi muttered. "You can't even manage to run the business right, half of the time." Sasuke heaved a sigh, he wished he could tell Itachi what he really thought of him right now, but that would probably only make things worse between them. For the foreseeable future they needed to get along so that things could get taken care of.

"I almost want to go back to the hospital." Sasuke muttered. He was tired of dealing with Itachi's dumb ass.

"It's not going to change anything for him." Itachi said. "I honestly don't know why you care so much."

"Because I have a heart." Sasuke replied. "I don't want to go around hurting people just for the hell of it."

"I care." Itachi said. "Not as much as you do, but I care."

"Not really, you're not even bothered that he was left out there to die." Sasuke said. "If you cared you wouldn't have minded that I spent my money on paying his hospital bills. Don't give me that you care shit because we both know that outside of this family you don't give a damn about anyone."

"As far at that goes it includes some people in this family." Itachi shot back and Sasuke's heart flinched at the harsh words. "You can't do a damn thing right to even help your mother. You depend on the maids far too much, you're a spoiled little boy who can't do anything on his own." Sasuke grimaced, he might have been spoiled growing up but at least Sasuke cared and was aware of the hurting that went on around him.

"I would rather care too much than not care at all. You're an emotionless robot, and I'm starting to wonder if Father's death even bothers you." Sasuke said, he wasn't trying to hurt Itachi, not like his brother was trying to do to him anyways, he was just stating a fact. Itachi didn't see it that way and slammed his fist into Sasuke's face, causing Sasuke to stumble back and slam his head into the side of the garage.

"I cared more for him than you did." Itachi snarled. "At least I can do the job he taught me to do right!"

"You can't do everything right." Sasuke replied quietly. "You can't care about people. Father taught us to care about those that are suffering too. You seem to have been absent the day our Father taught that lesson." Itachi growled at Sasuke, and Sasuke grimaced his face was going to sport one hell of a bruise in the morning and something told him that Itachi wasn't even through with him yet.

"I'm starting to wonder if you're not in love with that retarded deaf boy, maybe that's why you're so obsessed with him." Itachi snarled, throwing another punch, this time directly to Sasuke's ribs. "Are you some sort of pedophile?" Sasuke grimaced as Itachi drew back his foot and slammed it into Sasuke's side, Sasuke felt a rib snap and he cried out in pain. His brother had never gotten violent with him before and he wondered his comment had pushed Itachi over the edge.

"Stupid faggot. I should turn you in for crushing on a fifteen-year-old kid." Sasuke could feel Itachi's glare, as he closed his eyes and tried to breathe through the pain.

Sasuke heard Itachi storm off, and he wrapped an arm around his ribs, he would probably need to get them wrapped, but he wasn't sure how he would be able to drive. The pain was nearly unbearable and Sasuke wondered if he would ever get back to the relationship that he'd had with Itachi. One where things were easy and comfortable and where they could actually stand the sight of each other. Sasuke also couldn't help but wonder if Itachi had really meant that comment about not caring for him, or if he'd just been trying to hurt Sasuke. It had, it hurt more deeply than any other comment that Itachi had made. Sasuke worked hard and tried his hardest to please Itachi but clearly his best efforts meant nothing to Itachi.

Sasuke sat there for several minutes, trying to manage the pain. His ribs were on fire, and it was making it hard to breathe. He didn't really understand what he'd said that had made Itachi so angry, he'd only been speaking the truth. He was afraid that his brother was going to get arrested for what happened to Naruto and Sasuke didn't want to see that happen, especially if Itachi wasn't the one that had hit him. Sasuke got the feeling that Itachi was telling the truth about hitting the deer, but Itachi didn't realize that until the police tested the blood on the hood, they would assume that Itachi was the driver, and he stood to get in a lot of trouble. Sasuke just wanted to protect his brother, why couldn't Itachi see that? Sometimes he thought Itachi had a personality disorder, because he wasn't always so temperamental.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke reached out a hand and tightly gripped the counter and used it to pull himself to his feet. Although once he was on his feet, he wrapped his arms around his middle and tried to focus on pushing the pain away. Kami, his brother knew how to kick Sasuke thought. He wasn't sure how he would be able to focus on getting anything done for the next several days. Finally, after several moments, Sasuke decided he'd be better off in the house and he started shuffling towards the door. Each step he took sent a wave of pain crashing through him and he wanted nothing more than to be collapse on his bed and forget about everything that had happened. Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't think that was going to happen because the minute he laid down, Itachi would probably start bitching at him for something.

Moving slowly up the sidewalk, Sasuke had to pause at the porch stairs, his chest felt like it was on fire and he wondered if he shouldn't go to the hospital and make sure the broken ribs didn't cause any internal damage. With how hard, Itachi had kicked him, Sasuke wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't have some internal bleeding or something like that. He supposed he was lucky that his ribs didn't puncture his lung. Drawing in a slow breath, Sasuke decided it would be better if he could make it into the house, and then maybe one of the maids could help him wrap his ribs or something.

As he started shuffling towards the door, Sasuke felt eyes on him and looked up to find Itachi watching him from the window. Sasuke frowned at him and used his free hand to push open the door. He shot a glare at Itachi as he stepped inside.

"Are you okay?" Itachi asked frowning at Sasuke, Sasuke scowled and turned to stare at his brother.

"Like you give a damn!" Sasuke snapped. "It's your fault, my ribs are likely broken."

"I didn't mean to hurt you." Itachi shook his head. "You just made me angry by saying that I never cared anything about father."

"There's no point bringing it back up." Sasuke said. "We're only going to get into another argument, I would rather avoid that."

"We wouldn't fight if you would just listen to me." Itachi grumbled.

"Maybe you are the one that should listen for a change." Sasuke said, turning his back to Itachi and making his way into the kitchen to grab some ice. He really was starting to wonder if Itachi had a personality disorder, it didn't take any time for his attitude to change. Sighing, Sasuke grabbed a sandwich bag out of a drawer and then made his way over to the freezer and filled the bag with ice. Sitting down on a stool, Sasuke pressed the ice to his aching ribs. He hoped that Itachi understood what he was doing because Sasuke didn't really want to talk him out of making any more stupid choices. If Itachi got in trouble, it was his own fault for not reporting that he'd hit a deer in the first place. Sasuke just hoped that he was able to taken on everything, running the business and taking care of his mother because he wouldn't have any help with that.

So I feel like I done a little better with the pov thing this chapter. The whole thing is from Sasuke's pov for a change. Thanks for reading and commenting.


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